Hey, Midknite here. This is one of those stories that takes a while to take off and is pretty confusing at the beginning. The main idea surrounding this is Brain Augments, which will be explained later, so give it a chance. The Augment idea isn't mine; I'm using it with permission from Ah-Hael, who is the greatest! Sucks up Oh yeah, I don't own GW, the Dixie Chicks and/or their music and Brad Paisley and/or his music. I just really like those two songs lol. Ok thanks!

Cowboy, Take Me Away

Prologue

AC 202

War was something that reached beyond the physical battlefield. Many times people find themselves at war with their own expectations, thoughts, and emotions. In a time when right and wrong are not always clearly defined, this may be achieved easier then one may realize. Duo Maxwell found himself in that position as he shifted his weight in the highly uncomfortable chair in his supervisor's office. He and his partner, Heero Yuy, were getting briefed on their latest mission. Why he decided to take it was, at that moment, beyond him, mainly because in his current mental and emotional state, he questioned himself on his abilities as a Preventer First Class. Hilde Schbieker, his now ex-girlfriend of five and a half years had left him barely a month ago, but the wound it had caused was still fresh.

Now that World Peace was finally achieved seven years ago, the new government formed Preventers to "put out fires" that had potential to be a threat to peace. Many people were against this because of the militant ways that were sometimes used to put out these fires. At the same time others believed Preventers were a shield that protected them from the violence that corrupted the areas that surrounded the five colony clusters and the moon that orbited the Earth, as well as themselves.

But as long as mankind exists... There will be battles...

"Maxwell? Are you listening to me?" Middi Une, his supervisor and head honcho of Preventers, asked him seeming annoyed with his appeared lack of concentration.

"Yeah, sorry," he said quickly snapping his attention on his boss.

"This mission is of the utmost importance. Intel found fragments of some old records at the last Oz base site that was destroyed and cleaned up. The data doesn't tell us how many others there were or who they are, this one was the only one they could salvage. We cannot have a brain augment running around in the open," Une stopped for a moment and her voice dropped, "but this is what makes this mission so different from any others you've been on. Intel found where she is currently living, under the name "Arethea Fox," in the town Lake Melody. They haven't found anything resembling a criminal record so we don't have a legitimate reason to bring her in but we're not sure how many names she has... What to make of that, I don't know. There hasn't been a steady Intel Agent on this at all. It has already changed hands four times. But, since we can't have Preventers crawling over a city with out suspicion, I am sending you out solo, Maxwell. You must find out if she is an augment, and if it is so, bring her back here so the law may be enforced. Yuy, stay here and let Maxwell report to you. I expect to hear progress at least once a week," She said, her tone sounded almost as if she was enjoying it, notably about the law being enforced, and everyone knows the law: All Brain Augmentations are highly dangerous therefore, all products of this process must be destroyed immediately.